1 You know that the earth goes round the sun and the moon goes round the earth. You know also perhaps that there are several other bodies which, like the earth, go round the sun. They are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. All these, including our earth, are called planets of the sun. The moon is called a satellite1 of the earth because it keeps going round the earth. The other planets have also got their satellites. 2 The sun and the planets with their satellites form a happy family, called the solar system. Solar means belonging to the sun. The sun is the father of all the planets, so the whole group is called the solar system. 3 At night, you see thousands of stars in the sky. Only a few of them are planets. We can easily distinguish2 between a planet and a star. Compared to the stars, the planets are really very tiny, like our earth. But they look bigger than stars because they are much nearer to us. Compared to a star, the moon is really quite like a baby. It looks so big because it is very near to us. The real way to distinguish a star from a planet is to see whether it twinkles or not. Stars twinkle3, planets don’t. Planets shine only because they get the light of the sun. It is merely the sunshine on the planets or the moon that we see. 4 Stars are like the sun. They shine of themselves because they are very hot and burning. In fact, the sun itself is a star. It looks bigger than stars because it is much nearer. We see it as a great ball of fire in the sky. 5 Thus our earth belongs to the family of the sun. We think the earth is very big. Compared to our tiny selves, it is truly very big. It takes weeks and months in a fast train or ship to go from one part of the earth to another. But although it seems so big, it is just like a speck4 of dust hanging in the air. The sun is millions of miles away and the other stars are even further away. That is why they look so small to us. Word-meanings : 1. satellite—a natural body in space that moves round a larger body, especially a planet 2. distinguish—tell the differences 3. twinkle—to shine with a light that changes constantly from bright to faint, 4. speck—a tiny Answer the following questions briefly : 1. Name the planets that move round the sun. 2. What does the solar system consist of ? 3. What do we see in the sky at night ? 4. How can you distinguish a star from a planet ? 5. Why does the moon look bigger than the sun ? 6. What makes the sun shine ? 7. What makes the moon shine ? 8. How big is the earth as compared to the sun ?
Answers
Answer:
1. Read the following passage carefully. 8 marks 1 You know that the earth goes round the sun and the moon goes round the earth. You know also perhaps that there are several other bodies which, like the earth, go round the sun. They are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. All these, including our earth, are called planets of the sun. The moon is called a satellíte of the earth because it keeps going round the earth. The other planets have also got their satellites. 2 The sun and the planets with their satellites form a happy family, called the solar system. Solar means belonging to the sun. The sun is the father of all the planets, so the whole group is called the solar system. 3 At night, you see thousands of stars in the sky. Only a few of them are planets. We can easily distinguish between a planet and a star. Compared to the stars, the planets are really very tiny, like our earth. But they look bigger than stars because they are much nearer to us. Compared to a star, the moon is really quite like a baby. It looks so big because it is very near to us. The real way to distinguish a star from a planet is to see whether it twinkles or not. Stars twinkle, planets don't. Planets shine only because they get the light of the sun. It is merely the sunshine on the planets or the moon that we see. 4 Stars are like the sun. They shine of themselves because they are very hot and burning. In fact, the sun itself is a star. It looks bigger than stars because it is much nearer. We see it as a great ball of fire in the sky. 5 Thus our earth belongs to the family of the sun. We think the earth is very big. Compared to our tiny selves, it is truly very big. It takes weeks and months in a fast train or ship to go from one part of the earth to another. But although it seems so big, it is just like a speck of dust hanging in the air. The sun is millions of miles away and the other stars are even further away. That is why they look so small to us. -1 On the basis of your reading of the passage given above, answer the following question : (a) Is the earth stationary ? (1) Yes, it is stationary. (iii) No, it moves round the moon. (ii) No, it is not stationary. (iv) No, it moves round the other planets. (b) What makes the sun shine ? (1) The sun shines because it is very big. (11) The sun shines because it gets the light of the moon. (ifi) The sun shines because it is very hot and burning. (iv) The sun shines because we see it during the day. M6
what make the sun shine ( a. because it is very big b. because it is gets light from moon c. because it is very hot and burning)